The present invention relates to archery arrow broadheads, and more particularly to fixed blade broadheads including replaceable blades and a related method of manufacture.
When used to hunt game, archery arrows usually are tipped with broadheads having cutting blades designed to maximize penetration and cutting of tissue, which quickly and humanely harvests the game. A variety of broadheads are available, one of which is a fixed blade broadhead including blades that can be manually replaced if dulled or damaged during use.
Most fixed blade broadheads include a ferrule, a separate and replaceable sharpened tip, and separate and replaceable sharpened blades secured to the ferrule. In such broadhead constructions, the blades are usually triangular, with the forward and rearward portion both secured to the ferrule. Usually, the rearward portion of the blade includes a projecting tang. A ring slides over a rear portion of the ferrule and encircles the tang to secure the rearward portion of the blade to the ferrule.
Securing a rearward portion of a broadhead blade to a ferrule is generally considered an easier task than securing the forward portion of a blade to the ferrule. Broadhead manufacturers have used several different constructions for this forward securement.
One such construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,293 to Lekavich. Lekavich discloses a plastic ferrule, a replaceable blade positioned within lands defined by the plastic ferrule, and a metal injection molded tip. The tip includes a 45° rear inclined surface which engages the cutting edges of the blades. Lekavich requires that the ferrule must be plastic and deformable so that when the broadhead is installed on an arrow, the forward portions of the blades are driven down into the plastic lands, necessarily deforming the lands. Although this construction can secure the forward portion of the blade, the integrity of the ferrule is compromised due to the plastic deformation. Furthermore, if the blades are bent in use, this can tear or destroy the plastic lands of the ferrule. Thus, the broadhead is rendered a “one use” broadhead, which defeats the purpose of including replaceable blades.
Another broadhead construction that secures forward portions of replaceable blades is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication 2005/0059516 to Davis and is offered under the Wac'Em™ trade name. In the Davis construction, a forward portion of a blade forms an unsharpened, block-shaped tang. The ferrule of the Davis construction defines a complimentarily block-shaped retaining notch. This retaining notch is machined into the ferrule, that is, the ferrule material must be removed from the ferrule to define this block-shaped retaining notch. Although the Davis construction provides another way to secure the forward portion of the blade, it requires drilling or grinding away of the ferrule. In many cases, this is time consuming and wasteful of the ferrule material. In addition, additional care must be taken to ensure that excess heat is controlled so that the ferrule material is not weakened around the notch.
Conventional broadheads provide several ways to secure replaceable fixed blades; however, room exists for improvement.